Refrigerating apparatus having a removable panel unit



May 30, 1950 L. A. PHILIPP 2,509,615

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS HAVING A REMOVABLE PANEL UNIT IN VEN TOR. Ln mesa/cs H- PmuPP W ZQM May 30, 1950 L. A. PHILIPP I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS HAVING A REMOVABLE PANEL unrr 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 29, 1947 a s A a M. Z

INVENTOR. L flh/RBNCE H- PHIL IPP flrronusv Patented May 30, 1950 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS HAVING A REMOVABLE PANEL UNIT Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Maryland Application October 29, 1947, Serial No. 782,908

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to household refrigerators.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement of refrigerating units so that certain of the units may be removable with a cabinet panel of the refrigerator as a unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of refrigerator units to obtain the above mentioned removable feature in a cabinet having a food storage compartment extending substantially to the bottom thereof.

Another object of the invention resides in suspending a refrigerant motor-compressor unit from an exterior cabinet panel in a. new and improved manner to absorb motor-compressor created vibrations.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator, embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the refrigerator with parts shown broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, horizontal sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 33 of 18. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, horizontal sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical view of the refrigerators cooling system.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a refrigerator having a cabinet, designated generally by the numeral 20. In general, the cabinet 20 comprises, an outer casing 22, and a liner 24. Heat insulation 26 is interposed between the casing 22 and the liner 24 to decrease heat leakage into the interior of the cabinet. Preferably, the cabinet casing 22 is made of sheet metal having a top wall 28, bottom wall 29 and side walls 30. At the rear of the cabinet 20, the casing top wall 28, bottom wall 29, and side walls 30 are provided with inturn flanges 32 which cooperate in presenting a continuous seating surface along the rear edge of the casing to receive a removable, outer 2 panel 34 of the casing. Preferably a, portion of the continuous, casing flange, as at 36, is bent forwardly to give added stiffness to the flange 32. In accordance with my invention, I provide the removable rear panel 34 for the cabinet and on this panel I mount a refrigerant condensing element comprising a motor-compressor unit 38 and a refrigerant condenser 4|]. The panel 34 is provided with a bead or channel recess M which extends continuously around the panel, adjacent the outer peripheral edge thereof to stiffen the same and to retain a sealing gasket 42. A gasket made of rubber or other suitable or displaceable material may be used. The gasket 42 is displaced against the casing flange 32 to seal the joint between this surface and the removable panel 34. Screws 44 or other suitable fasteners may be used to attach the removable panel 34 to the casing flange 32; the screws 44 preferably being located in the reinforcing channel 4! of the panel. Carried by the removable panel 34 there is a plu rality of fins 46 located on the rear or outer surface of the panel to increase heat dissipating surface. The fins 46 may be elongated channel members which may extend vertically and may be spaced across the back of the cabinet. As shown, the webs of the channel-shaped fins are secured flat against the outer surface of the panel 34 and the sides of these channels may be outturned and extend coplanar to provide up-draft passageways 48 between adjacent channels to aid further in dissipating heat. The channellike fins 45 may be welded or be otherwise secured to the panel 34.

In the removable panel 34, I provide an inwardly directed offset portion 50 presenting a re cess 52 to receive the motor-compressor unit 38. The offset portion 50 is preferably located slightly above the bottom wall of the food storage compartment. In shape, the offset portion 50 is preferably a portion of an annulus having an arcuate, upright wall and top and bottom walls 54, 56 respectively. The upright wall of the offset 50 is made arcuate so as to occupy as little as possible of the available food storage compartment space in the cabinet. The rear opening of the offset portion recess 52 is preferably rectangular in shape as shown in Fig, 2. The motor-compressor unit 38 is suspended from the removable panel 34 preferably by a plurality of coil springs asoaew 6i}. In order to allow vertical movement of the motor-compressor unit to absorb audible vibrations of the motor-compressor and also to limit side or lateral movement of the unit, I provide four of the springs 66 and arrange them diametrically in the suspending of the unit from the panel 34. At the corners of the panel opening, anchor plates 62 may be provided to which the outer ends of the springs 66 may be attached; the inner ends of the springs being attached preferably to brackets 64, secured to the motorcompressor unit casing.

In the food storage compartment, formed by the liner 24, a suitable refrigerant evaporator 66 may be provided and may be suspended by brackets 68 from the top wall of the cabinet. The removable back panel 34 covers insulation behind the evaporator 65 which insulation may be removed after which the evaporator can be removed from the cabinet through an opening H3 in the liner 26. The liner opening 10 is normally closed by a removable closure plate 12 which may be attached to the liner by any suitable fastener means, such as screws (not shown). Below the evaporator 66 the cabinet may be provided with a number of shelves I4 which may be made of wire so as to allow for substantially free circulation of air throughout the food storage compartment. Spaced below the lowermost of the shelves 14 is a shelf-partition 16 of impervious material preferably glass which restricts circulation of air from one to the other side thereof. Below this shelf I6 there is a compartment 18 wherein drawers 80 may be provided for the storage of food. The drawers 80 are located immediately in front of the removable panel oflfset portion 50 and the backs of these drawers may be provided with arcuate recesses 82 to conform or be complementary with the arcuate offset 50 of the cabinet rear wall so as to utilize as much as possible of the available storage space.

Secured to the inner surface of the removable rear wall 34 is a refrigerant condenser 4|] in the usual form of a conduit or coil. The condenser 40 is preferably arranged to extend in serpentine form from the motor-compressor unit up the back of the cabinet, substantially to the top thereof. Suitable cement or other securing means may be used to attach the condenser 40 in good heat transfer relationship to the inner surface of the removable panel 34. Liquid refrigerant is delivered from the condenser 40 to the evaporator 66 through a capillary or flow metering tube 84 which is adapted to supply refrigerant in the right amounts to obtain desired evaporator temperatures. A refrigerant return conduit 86 returns gaseous refrigerant from a header of the evaporator 66 to the motor-compressor unit 38.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that I have provided an improved refrigerator in which a removable rear panel of the cabinet carried, among other things, the refrigerant condensing element whereby removal of the condensing element from the cabinet with the panel as a unitary structure is readily effected. Also, it will be noted that after removing the cabinet rear panel the evaporator may be then removed through the back of the cabinet upon first moving some insulation and removing the liner closure member immediately behind the evaporator. In addition, in my refrigerator, the removable rear panel has a motor-compressor receiving offset formed in the panel and located above the bottom wall of the food storage com- 4 partment and in a manner to occupy a minimum of the food storage compartment space.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a food storage compartment extending substantially from top to bottom thereof, a cabinet casing having a continuous flange extending around the back thereof, a refrigerant evaporator in the upper region of said food storage compartment and removable from the back of said cabinet, a removable rear wall panel extending substantially from top to bottom of said cabinet in overlapping relation to said flange, an inwardly directed offset in said panel above the bottom of said food storage compartment and below said refrigerant evaporator, a gasket retainer on said panel, a gasket receiver in said retainer engaging said flange, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit carried by said removable panel extending into said offset and being operatively connected to said evaporator, and means attaching said panel to said flange adjacent said gasket retainer.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to absorb heat from said food storage compartment, a removable exterior panel on the cabinet having an inwardly disposed of!- set adjacent the bottom of said food storage compartment, a motor-compressor unit in said offset carried by said panel and being operatively connected to said evaporator, a condenser coil attached to the inner surface of said removable panel immediately above said motor-compressor unit and being operatively connected to said evaporator and to said motor-compressor unit, and a plurality of diametrically acting springs having their axes in the plane of said panel suspending said motor-compressor unit in said recess from said removable panel.

3. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having a casing formed with a continuous inturned flange extending along the back of the cabinet, a removable panel having an outer marginal portion overlapping said continuous flange, a continuous channel reinforcement on said panel overlying said flange, a gasket in said channel engaging said marginal portion, fasteners attaching said panel to said flange through said channel, an inwardly disposed offset in said panel, a motor-compressor unit in said recess, and spring means attaching said motor-compressor to said panel.

4. In'refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet casing having an inturned flange extending along the back thereof, a removable panel having an outer marginal portion overlapping said flange, an outer offset marginal portion on said panel overlying said flange, a gasket on said outer offset marginal portion engaging said flange, means attaching said panel at said outer offset marginal portion to said flange, an inwardly disposed offset in said panel, and a refrigerant motor-compressor unit carried by said panel and extending into said inwardly disposed offset.

5. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet casing formed with an inturned flange extending along the back thereof, a removable panel having an outer marginal portion overlapping said flange, a

channel reinforcement on said panel marginal portion, a gasket in said channel reinforcement. engaging said flange, means attaching said panel adjacent said channel reinforcing to said flange, an inwardly disposed offset in said panel, and a refrigerant motor-compressor unit supported by said panel within said recess.

6. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet casing, a continuous inturned flange on said casing extending along the back thereof, a removable panel having an outer marginal portion overlapping said continuous inturned flange, a continuous reinforcement member on said outer marginal portion, a gasket interposed between saidreinforcement member and said flange, means attaching said panel to said flange adjacent said gasket, an inwardly disposed recess in 6 said panel, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit carried by said panel and extending into said recess, and radially disposed springs attached to said motor-compressor unit and anchored to and in the plane of said panel.

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,280,554 Steenstrup Apr. 21, 1942 2,391,507 Philipp Dec. 25, 1945 2,392,727 Dailey Jan. 8, 1946 2,438,114 Dennedy Mar. 23, 1948 

